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NHTSA Issues Brake Line Advisory for Pre-2008 Vehicles
Owners of pre-2008-era cars, pickup trucks and SUVs should periodically wash the underside of their vehicles to avoid salt buildup that could cause a brake line leak and brake system failure, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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Owners of pre-2008-era cars, pickup trucks and SUVs should periodically wash the underside of their vehicles to avoid salt buildup that could cause a brake line leak and brake system failure, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The advice comes the day after NHTSA closed a four-year investigation into complaints about brake line failures in General Motors Co. trucks and SUVs made between 1999 and 2003. The agency's conclusion: All vehicles of that era face the same potential problem if their zinc-aluminum-coated steel brake lines aren't rinsed off from time to time.
Not surprisingly, NHTSA says the chances of a brake line leak go up as the vehicle gets older. The likelihood of a problem also is higher for vehicles used in northern climates where winter road salt can accumulate on the lines.
The agency notes that carmakers began switching in the late 1990s to more corrosion-resistant plastic-coated steel brake lines.
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